By Lindsey Coulter

The 糖心少女 Design + Construction Symposium brought education leaders, architects, designers, contractors, developers and facilities professionals together Aug. 5 at Denver鈥檚 historic Tivoli Turnhalle to examine how evolving needs are reshaping the design and delivery of K-12 and higher education environments.听

Held on the Auraria Campus, the event focused on project-driven discussions around student belonging, school safety, community engagement, mass timber, urban听development听and the increasingly compressed construction schedules facing school districts. The symposium was designed to move beyond broad industry trends and examine real projects and lessons that can be applied to future work.听

Designing for Belonging听

The program opened with a keynote from Dr. Drew Coleman, Chief of Schools for Jeffco Public Schools, who challenged attendees to consider the relationship between school environments, student听experience听and educational outcomes.听

Coleman鈥檚 presentation, 鈥淏uilding Belonging: Designing Schools Where Students Feel Safe Enough to Learn and Prepared Enough to Lead,鈥� examined how the physical environment can either support or hinder student success. His perspective connected education leadership, school听culture听and the built environment, reinforcing the symposium鈥檚 emphasis on designing schools around the needs of the people who use them.听

The keynote was followed by a district-level perspective from Micah Ali, president of Compton Unified School District. Ali discussed the development of Compton High School and the importance of trust,听continuity听and community partnerships in delivering major educational facilities projects.听

Born and raised in Compton, Ali played a foundational role in the development of听the high听school and has extensive experience in land use, development and partnerships aimed at expanding opportunities for students.听He also is helping guide the district’s upcoming Centennial and Dominguez Hills High School projects.听听

The discussion illustrated a broader theme that ran throughout the symposium: successful school construction is not simply about delivering a building, but about creating facilities that reflect community priorities and support long-term educational goals.听

Beyond Safety and Security听

The morning continued with a design panel examining how safety, security,听belonging听and well-being can coexist in school environments.听

Panelists听Erika Ashauer, Human Experience Research Lead for HCM鈥檚 PK-12 Studio; Joel Williams, Studio Director at QKA; Guy Grace, vice chair of the Partner Alliance for Safer Schools; and Pat Tackney, Security & Architectural Sales Consultant for McGrory Glass Systems,听expanded the traditional definition of school safety beyond access control and security hardware. Panelists considered how visibility, privacy, supervision,听comfort听and a sense of belonging can influence the experience of students and staff.听

The discussion reflected a broader shift in school design toward environments that address both physical safety and the emotional and social conditions that help students learn.听

Summit House Provides a Case Study in Innovation听

After a networking break, the symposium shifted from K-12 schools to higher education and student听housing听with a case study听on听Metropolitan State University of Denver鈥檚 Summit House.听

Presented by听Martha Nelson, Director of Planning, Design and Construction for MSU Denver; Ben Diaz, Senior Development Manager for Columbia Ventures; Macy Huffaker, Project Architect with SAR+ Architects; Ryan Marshall 鈥� Superintendent at PCL Construction,听the听session, moderated by Leone Dick, Chief of Staff to the Vice President of Administration at MSU Denver,听explored the planning,听design听and delivery of MSU Denver鈥檚 first residence hall.听

Summit House听represents听a significant milestone for the university and for Colorado construction. The 12-story student residence is being delivered using mass timber and is positioned to become the tallest mass-timber structure in the state. The project also incorporates an urban construction environment and a public-private delivery model. (糖心少女)听

Rather than focusing on mass timber as a standalone innovation, the presentation examined the combination of decisions and partnerships听required听to make the project possible. Those included material听selection, planning,听logistics,听development听and construction delivery.听

The case study also gave attendees a closer look at the increasingly complex role of construction teams working in dense urban environments and managing innovative structural systems.听

Racing the Summer Construction Clock听

The symposium concluded its formal program with a panel focused on one of the most persistent challenges in K-12 construction: delivering projects within the limited summer construction window.听

Moderated by Chuck Amos, CEO of听SchoolBondFinder, the panel featured David J. Henderson,听Deputy听Chief of听Operations for Cherry Creek School District, and Justin Sinnott,听Vice听President of听Corporate听Operations at Erickson-Hall.听

Dubbed 鈥淭he Summer Sprint,鈥� the discussion听addressed听planning, coordination, risk听management听and project delivery during the period when schools are vacant but must be ready for students when the new academic year begins.听

Henderson brought more than 25 years of K-12 construction and听facilities听leadership to the discussion, including oversight of approximately听2 million square feet听of capital improvement,听construction听and renovation projects across Colorado school districts.听Sinnott contributed experience in project planning, execution, risk management and operational efficiency.听

The panel underscored how compressed schedules are placing greater emphasis on early planning,听coordination听and delivery strategies that can reduce risk while听maintaining听quality.听

The topic also reflected broader pressures facing districts nationwide. 糖心少女 recently examined the 鈥淪ummer Sprint鈥� as an increasingly demanding period in which districts must complete everything from HVAC replacements and classroom renovations to larger capital projects before students return.听

From Conversation to Job Site听

Attendees also听had the opportunity to take the听morning鈥檚听discussion into the field with an exclusive tour of MSU Denver鈥檚 Summit House.听

The tour provided a firsthand look at the mass-timber residence hall and connected the project鈥檚 planning and delivery discussion with its physical construction. According to 糖心少女, the project听represents听the intersection of student housing demand, urban development, innovative听materials听and alternative approaches to project delivery.听

Across its sessions, the symposium emphasized a common challenge facing both K-12 and higher education: making increasingly complex capital investments serve long-term institutional and community goals.听

From Coleman鈥檚 examination of belonging to Ali鈥檚 discussion of community trust, the design panel鈥檚 exploration of safety and well-being, Summit House鈥檚 innovative delivery and the final panel鈥檚 focus on compressed construction schedules, the event demonstrated that the future of educational construction will require collaboration across disciplines.听

Rather than treating design, construction, operations and educational outcomes as separate considerations, the symposium brought those perspectives together around a shared question:听How can the industry create schools and campuses that are not only built successfully, but equipped to serve the people and communities who depend on them?听

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By Lindsey Coulter听

A school building is more than the backdrop for education. It is where students develop relationships, teachers build community and young people begin to understand their place in the world. For Dr. Drew Coleman, Chief of Schools at Jeffco Public Schools, the physical environment is an important 鈥� and sometimes overlooked 鈥� part of that experience.听

At the recent 2026 糖心少女 Design + Construction Symposium, Coleman served as the keynote speaker. In his presentation, 鈥淏uilding Belonging: Designing Schools Where Students Feel Safe Enough to Learn and Prepared Enough to Lead,鈥� Coleman examined how school environments can support belonging,听safety听and student success.听The symposium brought together education leaders and the A/E/C community to explore the trends, challenges and projects shaping K-12 and higher education facilities.听

In advance of the event, 糖心少女听(SCN)听spoke with Coleman about his path from classroom teacher to district leader, what he has learned about the relationship between physical spaces and student outcomes, and why designing听鈥斕齩r redesigning听鈥斕齛 school should begin with how the people inside it experience that space.听

SCN: What initially drew you to education?听

Coleman:听I believe education听is a great equalizer. I had an awesome educational experience, with parents who viewed public education as听very important听and educators who invested in me. They pushed me academically, challenged me through听activities听and helped me build character.听

I went into public education wanting to ensure that other people had听that听same experience.听I realized my experience wasn’t the experience of all of my friends and counterparts, so I wanted everyone else to have that same opportunity.听

SCN: How did your classroom experience shape the way you think about learning environments?听

Coleman:听Once I became a teacher, I realized education was more than putting standards and information in front of students.听Students have to understand that we care about them.听

I taught in Title I schools and some of our most impoverished schools, where buildings were often听old听and classrooms听hadn’t听received much investment. I wanted my students to have the kind of experience I had, so I invested in my own classroom.听

A college professor once told me, 鈥淵our classroom should make your students feel like home.鈥� I created little nooks and听reading听corners with a couch and bookshelf. I would put a lamp there. It was about reminding students what reading could be like and creating a space where they felt comfortable.听

SCN: What have you learned about the relationship between belonging, the physical听environment听and student success?听

Coleman:听When a leader creates a sense of belonging, educators take pride in their space.听I’ve听worked in old buildings where educators were given the ability to make modifications and updates to their classrooms. They made their classrooms their own.听

That听translated听to the students. They took ownership and pride in their classrooms, too.听When students feel safe, feel like they belong and feel like they matter, it makes a difference.听I’ve听seen that听reflected in听academic outcomes.听

The听flip side听is also true. If students walk into an old building where paint is chipping off the walls and they听don’t听have spaces that feel uniquely theirs, that has an emotional and mental impact on how they view education and learning. It also affects how they perceive how adults feel about them.听

SCN: Does creating that environment always require a new building or major capital investment?听

Coleman:听No. I know money and finances are difficult for most schools and districts. New, innovative buildings are great, but听it’s听also about how we reimagine our current听spaces听so they align with 21st-century learning and what students need.听

You can take an old home and fix it up on the inside. The same thing applies to schools. It听isn’t听necessarily about the neighborhood or location of the building.听It’s听about how we make the building and how we make students feel.听

If students don’t feel they matter or don’t have a sense of belonging, it shows up in their academic outcomes and their behavior data.听

SCN: How has your expanded role in safety and security changed how you think about the built environment?听

Coleman:听Safety and security听is听a unique space. There is the physical safety of the building鈥攎aking sure we have the technical things in听place听so buildings are physically secure and feel safe. In Jeffco,听we’ve听done an extremely听good job听ensuring that our buildings have that sense of physical safety.听

But听there’s听also a sense of safety and belonging. A building can be physically safe, but there can still be people in our communities who听don’t听feel safe.听

That’s听why listening is so important. We听have to听ask, 鈥淚f you don’t feel safe, what would make you feel safe?鈥澨齌hen we have to determine what we can actually do.听

SCN: What do you hope attendees听took听away from your symposium keynote?听

Coleman:听What we do in K-12 education is going to be so important, especially as we think about the next generation and what happens after high school. What we do in our schools makes a difference.听

When听we’re听able to create an environment where students really feel that they belong,听we’re听able to decrease the dropout rate and increase the graduation rate.听

The space听matters. It matters more than people sometimes realize.听

That’s听why conversations between educators and the design and construction community are so important. Educators understand what students and teachers experience every day. Architects,听engineers听and contractors bring听expertise听about what is possible within the built environment. When those perspectives come together early and thoughtfully, we have an opportunity to create spaces that don’t just look听good, but听actually support the people who use them.听

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The post Designing for Belonging: A Conversation with Dr. Drew Coleman appeared first on 糖心少女.